How to Wear Man Jewelry, featuring Philip Crangi

Pulling off man jewelry can be tricky and daunting at times. Which pieces to pair together, how much is too much, how to keep it all looking masculine, etc.

Who better to show us the ropes than my favorite jewelry designer, and one of our style inspirations here at TSB.com, Philip Crangi.

Philip is not only one of the most noted industry leaders and trendsetters in jewelry design, he’s also a friendly, down-to-earth guy with badass personal style. Between his fine jewelry collection Philip Crangi which combines age-old techniques with a unique palette of gold, wrought iron and steel, and his edgier diffusion collectionGiles & Brother (a collaboration with his sister Giles), Phil has managed to find the perfect balance between fineness and ruggedness in order to put out some of the most wearable pieces in the men’s jewelry game.

Here, we caught up with Philip in New York’s meatpacking district so he could give us a taste of what he does best.

1. Let the Jewelry Speak

“Here I’m keeping it simple with just enough personal jewelry to make this basic look mine“.

Let the jewelry speak for itself. A simple, well-fit neutral look is a great canvas to showcase some statement pieces. You don’t need other elements competing for attention (i.e. other accessories, bold colors, etc).

Bonus Tip: Although hand-crafted with fine jewelry techniques that Philip studied at the renowned Rhode Island School of Design, the majority of Phil’s pieces have a toughness and manliness to them – an embedded dagger in one neckless, and an anchor in the other, for example.

Stainless steel necklace and 14k gold necklace both by Philip Crangi. Shirt by Louis Vuitton. Vintage trousers. Shoes by YSL. Shades by Bottega Veneta. “Arceau” watch by Hermes.

2. The Importance of Scale

“The cuff is a lot fancier in this look – it’s from my fine jewelry collection, but its scale keeps it chic and casual. Scale is one of the most important things to consider with men’s jewelry. It’s better to have several smaller pieces – one big chunky thing rarely looks masculine and always looks dated”

Bonus Tip: A man of true style shows his taste level in everything he does. Take a look at the decor in Phil’s amazingly chic home.

Rail road spike ring in 14k by Giles & Brother. Stainless steel and 14k gold cuff and Iron and gold anchor necklace both by Philip Crangi. Shirt by American Apparel. Chinos by RRL. Sandals by Baleciaga. Double belt by Comme des garcon. “Cape Cod” watch by Hermes.

The man also understands the importance of a good pair of shades. These were only the few pairs that were on his kitchen table when we arrived…

3. Amp Up Your Classics

Another example of keeping it simple and adding personal touches with jewelry.

“I’m feeling pretty classic this summer with just one or two perfect pieces of jewelry – my favorite watch, a simple leather cuff (a new classic from my Giles and Brother

collection) and my gold rail road spike ring”

Bonus Tip: Philip wears his watches to the inside of his wrist, since they seem to twist halfway around on him naturally anyway. It’s a great unique touch and also a good way to protect the watch face from banging around.

Bonus Tip II: Few things work better than rugged man jewelry and cool skin art.

Rail road spike ring in 14k, Leather “visor” cuff bracelet and Striped rope belt all fromGiles & Brother.  Oxford by Brooks Brothers Black Fleece. Trousers by Acne. Shoes by YSL. “Cape Cod” watch by Hermes. Shades by Cutler and Gross.

4. Transformative Effect

“Here’s a good example of layering to get volume, plus i’m wearing all my fave’s together – a good summer look”

This look proves the power that the right jewelry can have. The pieces here completely change the look and feel of this tank + shorts + sneaker outfit. Genius.

Rail road spike ring in 14k, Leather “visor” cuff bracelet, Striped rope wrap bracelt all from Giles & Brother. Stainless steel and 14k gold necklaces both from Philip Crangi.

Tank top by Dries Van Notten. Shorts by Kolor. High tops by Gola. Timepiece by Swatch. Vintage Wayfarer II shades by Ray-Ban.

Thanks, as always, for reading – and special thanks to Philip for participating!

sursa:thestyleblogger.com

1 Piece/3 Ways: Low-Top Grown Man Sneakers

Ever since I was a kid growing up with hoop dreams I’ve had a love for sneakers. I used to collect them. At one time I think I had almost 100 pairs, including every Jordan from I-XX (and no money in my pocket, of course).

As I’ve gotten older my style has evolved with me. With the exception of a handful of favorite Js, I traded in most of my athletic sneakers for low-top, neutral, classic kicks.

Here, I styled one of my favorite pairs three different ways, from casual to corporate commuter.

1. Simple but Not Sloppy for the Weekend

The best weekend outfits are often the simplest ones.

This is a simple v-neck sweater with dark jeans, but I used accessories to give it my own spin. In this case, my own spin is a faux-fur scarf that I whipped together in one of my first sewing practice sessions.

Bonus Tip: Just because they’re sneakers doesn’t mean they have to look cheap. Similar to dressier shoes, it’s easy to tell the difference between these hand-sewn suede & leather luxury sneakers and some cheap canvas & rubber joints. Along those same lines, a quality sneaker is typically more comfortable, durable and rare as well.

Bonus Tip II: We all know that brown is a great color for footwear, sneakers are no different.

Sneakers by Lanvin. Sweater by Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply. Jeans by JBrand. Shades by Matsuda. Faux-fur scarf that I made myself. Watch by Brera Orologi. Railroad spike cuff bracelet by Giles & Brother. Belt by Ralph Lauren Purple Label.

2. Tailored Commuter

A quality sneaker in a versatile color can keep up with your tailored game.

The contrast between the suit and the shoe isn’t exaggerated (as with white Adidas or beat-up chucks, for example) which keeps them from stealing attention or looking out of place.

Bonus Tip: I wear sneakers with suits fairly often – yes, even double breasted ones. As a full-time stylist/blogger it’s great to have the freedom to do so, and even better to have a some sneaks that are suit-worthy. These get greeted with compliments rather than “why are you wearing gym shoes with a suit?!”.

Bonus Tip II: If your 9-5 calls for more traditional footwear, you can do like some of my stylish corporate friends: leave the stiff lace-ups at the office (with shoe trees, under your desk) and enjoy the comfort and swagger of sneakers during your commute. It’s also a great way to preserve the life of your leather soles from grinding on the concrete.

Bonus Tip III: The old-school rule that “double breasted suits should never be worn open” applies to old-school db suits (think wide padded shoulders, long jackets, deep panel overlap, and boxy fit). A new breed of double breasted suits is breaking this mold. They are relaxed in the shoulders, cut shorter, slim through the body and have a shallow overlap. This means that there is less fabric to overwhelm and drown your body when worn unbuttoned. In fact, worn open this jacket looks almost like a single breasted jacket (except for the front cutaway and button placement, of course). You are wearing the suit, the suit is not wearing you.

Bonus Tip IV: With the above said, however, the shape of a tailored db jacket still looks much more badass when closed – as you can see in the background of THIS picture from Adam’s latest feature “Tailor-Made Swagger”.

Sneakers by Lanvin. Double breasted hopsack suit by Michael Andrews Bespoke. Chambray shirt by Rag&Bone. Denim tie by General Knot & Co. Chambray pocket square by Armstrong & Wilson.

3. Business Casual Cool

Truth is a lot of offices don’t require power suits.

If you have the freedom to wear jeans, than the right sneaker shouldn’t be a problem.

Bonus Tip: In my opinion these dressy-leaning sneakers are interchangeable with casual-leaning lace-ups (that are very popular right now), like these chunky wingtips for example.

Bonus Tip II: A lapel pin is a great place to add some personal flair (Office Space reference unintentional). I like my Canadian flag pin on the collar rather than the lapel – i’m not running for office (yet?? haha).

Bonus Tip III: Another advantage of well-made sneaks: they’re much more comfortable sockless.

Bonus Tip IV: Every color in this outfit, or post rather, is considered a neutral color (browns, greys, blues, whites, tans). Because of this, each piece in this post is interchangeable. I could probably put a dozen outfits together  with only these pieces.

Bonus Tip V: This is a polyester tie from my late grandfather. Similar ones can be found in vintage stores for a handful of loose change.

Sneakers by Lanvin. White denim by Helmut Lang (33). Chambray shirt by Rag&Bone (M). Vintage tie from my late grandfather). Cotton topcoat by Theory (40). Canvas zipper tote by Filson. Shades by Matsuda. Suede gloves (in chest pocket) by Thom Browne (sz 9).

Thanks, as always, for reading.

sursa:thestyleblogger.com

A Denim Winter:Meltin Pot x The Urban Gent

We've recently teamed up with authentic Italian denim brand Meltin' Pot for a closer look into their Fall/Winter denim collection. We had the opportunity to create4 looks for Meltin' Pot, check them out below:

"The 90s Kid": I created an updated 90s look on Ben, by using the Meltin Pot Misfits which are truly skinny jeans, the jeans are paired with a Meltin' Pot shirt/jacket and topped off with a vintage buffalo plaid coat. To properly accessorize I opted for a classic Atlanta Hawks snapback, gold watch, and a 90s kidcloset staple– LA Gears.

Meltin Pot Items Worn: shirt/jacket (red white black )– MS007 T7183 RS05; black denim– MISFITS D1401 RK002 (Also featured: vintage LL Bean Jacket)

"Urban Cowboy": Simple and southern, I paired a Meltin Pot denim shirt with the perfect dark denim Meltin Pot braces/suspenders jeans. To accent thedouble denim I added a pair of limited edition cowboy braces and tan rugged boots. This look stands alone well, but to push it a bit further I accessorized the look with a simple native print scarf and a gold pin. (cowboy hat optional, lol).

BUY THE LOOK, here.

(Also featured: Limited Edition Trafalgar braces (use code RODEO: to get 10% off), andUGG Fallbrook boots)

"City Hermit": This look really ties into our urbane wanderer trend quite well. As if he's living in the desert, the city hermit wears a muted color palette to blend in with his environment– streets and buildings instead of sand dunes and stone plateaus. For this look I introduce my own spin on ombre, by creating color blocked ombre (see more details under Fall/Winter Tips). I start from the bottom with beige desert boots and I build up the color with beige and khaki socks, khaki slim fit Meltin' Pot chinos, and of course a double dose of brown-olive with the Meltin Pot callum shirt, and light-weight coat. I added a few optional hard-hitting accessories with the watch, camouflage scarf, and a heavy duty Chrome Pawn backpack.

BUY THE LOOK, here. 

"Untitled": It was hard for me to come up with a name for this look, but basically it focuses on the simple, yet stylish and manly "guy's guy". You know the man who watches sports, and likes style, but doesn't want to overdo it. He refuses to wear "that skinny shit", lol, but he's all about tailored, well-fitting clothing. For this look Ben wears a thermal shirt and vintage game-worn Georgia Tech football jersey underneath a Meltin' Pot's fur collar pilot's coat. And for his denim I choseMeltin' Pot's carrot fit jeans (the worn-in wash on these are fantastic). I keep the manliness going with a thick pair of navy/white knit socks, tall boots, vintage Navy hat, and optional rugby striped scarf.

BUY THE LOOK, here.

(Also featured: UGG Carnero Boots)

10 FALL WINTER MEN'S STYLE TIPS

Ankles on Display: That's right fully displayed, but socked up of course. Play around with fully displaying your socks this season. Meaning roll up our pants or push them up above your thick textured boot socks. You'll end up with a clean layering of boots-socks-pants. 

Plaid on Plaid: Plaid on Plaid on Plaid (you gotta say it like "stacks on stacks on stacks" though, lol). Plaid, ahh, boring right? Well let's revitalize it a bit. This summer we added army fatigue to it to give a boost, now just get raw with it– add plaid on plaid on plaid. But different pattern plaids, and in those cozy winter textures.

Colorblocked Ombre: Ombre is basically shades of color or different gradients of a color, usually going from light to dark. While women see this trend in their dresses, jackets, etc. men mostly see the ombre trend in accessories and maybe t-shirts. Well, we've put our Urban Gent spin on it, and have created "colorblocked ombre". Start from the top or bottom and gradually increase the intensity of the color you're wearing. We started with cream shoes, khaki and cream socks, khaki/olive trousers, then solid bold olive-brown shirt and jacket.

Braces/Suspenders: 'Tis the season for manning up, basically its getting cold so beards and 'staches are growing out. Complete the look with a pair of braces– that means they should button on, not clamp  .

Hint of Pattern:  Last year it was all about the hint of camouflage, now it's more all inclusive. Add a touch of something extra to your 'fit with a patterned highlight, whether it's camouflage, native prints, or anything else you may like.

Sock Season: Yep, it's sock season, and we're getting giddy like little kids, hehehe. Because these days a man has to have a couple pairs on deck that are pretty much specifically to be seen by those who gaze upon him. Patterns of all shades and sizes and colors are appropriate. (check back in a few weeks we're gonna have something special for you sock fiends). 

Denim on Denim: An Urban Gent oldie, but goodie. In the summer you double-denimed with lighter colors, for winter do it with darker denim. Add a few cowboy details to push it up a notch.

Preppy Hints: As much as I love classic prep gear, it's getting a bit hackneyed, right?! Yea, it is, so let's slow it down before we hate it and go the complete opposite into grunge-wear or something. To ease up on the prep, let's keep it to the accessories, like scarves.

 90s: Add a little 90s to your look whenever you can– snapbacks, simply oversized sneakers, gold accessories, whatever fits the bill.

Simple Accessories: It's fine to overdose here and there, but keep accessories simple. They should compliment not overtake your ensemble… think hat, watch, and patterned socks. 

sursa:theurbangent.com

15 lucruri utile pe care le invatam din filme

In afara de scopul reacreativ, filmele sunt adevarate surse se inspiratie pentru viata de zi cu zi, iar unele secvente pot fi adevarate revelatii care sa te ajute sa iesi cu bine din tot felul de probleme. Asta daca crezi ca totr ce apare dincolo de ecran este adevarat.

1. In timpul investigatiilor, politisitii sunt mereu nevoiti sa ajunga la un club de striptease si sa ancheteze o stripteusa superba, dar nefericita, care ascunde ceva.

2. Asternuturile din pat au toate aceeasi calitate: acopera femeia pana la piept si barbatul pana la talie. Intotdeauna.

3. Sistemul de ventilatie reprezinta ascunzatoarea perfecta. Nimeni, niciodata, nu se va gandi ca esti acolo.

4. Cand platesti pentru cursa de taxi, nu te uita niciodata atent la ceea ce faci. Apuca o hartie la nimereala si intinde-i-o taximetristului.

5. Bucatariile nu au intrerupatoare. Cand intri noaptea in bucatarie, sigura lumina pe care o gasesti este cea de la frigider.

6. Este intotdeauna posibil sa parchezi fix in fata cladirii in care ai treaba.

7. Un detectiv va fi in stare sa rezolve un caz numai atunci cand va fi demis din functie.

8. Nu conteaza daca esti depasit numeric de grupul cu care te bati. Inamicii tai vor astepta rabdatori, pana ai timp sa te ocupi de fiecare dintre ei.

9. Turnul Eiffel se poate vedea de la orice fereastra din Paris.

10. Oricine poate conduce un avion sau elicopter, chiar daca nu a luat lectii in viata lui.

11. Fiecare a pastrat segmente sau taieturi din ziare, mai ales daca o persoana draga sau o ruda a murit intr-un accindet sau o crima.

12. Cainii stiu sa recunoasca intotdeauna personajul negativ si sa latre la el.

13. De cate ori exista un criminal in apropiere, se intampla sa fie si o furtuna care distruge reteaua electrica si telefonul.

14. Daca ai fost martor la o crima, nu suna politia, e mult mai bine sa incepi o ancheta pe cont propriu.

15. Sa ai incredere intotdeauna in cea mai enervanta persoana pentru ca va fi singura care va supravietui pana la final.

sursa:askmen.ro